Bhubaneswar: The World Skill Center (WSC) in Bhubaneswar came alive with innovation, energy, and youthful ambition as the Skill Development & Technical Education Department of Odisha celebrated World Youth Skills Day 2025 with great fervour. The event, themed “Youth Empowerment through AI and Digital Skills,” highlighted Odisha’s growing leadership in future-ready skilling and technological integration.
Industries, Skill Development & Technical Education Minister Sampad Chandra Swain, who presided over the celebration, underscored the government’s deep-rooted commitment to empowering young talent. “Odisha is investing in the youth of today to build the workforce of tomorrow. Our AI Policy 2025 is a blueprint for inclusive digital transformation across governance, education, and industry,” he said.
A key highlight of the celebration was the announcement of over 700 placement offers for youth trained under initiatives like World Skill Center, Nua Odisha, and the Placement Linked Training Programme. Of these, more than 50 candidates secured global job offers, including prestigious placements in the United Arab Emirates, reflecting Odisha’s emergence as a hub of globally competitive skilled professionals.
Adding to the event’s innovation quotient was the Space Tech Skilling Workshop, jointly organized by WSC, Earth Now Pvt. Ltd., Smart Circuits, and TM@SPACE Technologies. Using the MANHA Satellite Kit, 30 students from WSC, RD Women’s Higher Secondary School, and BJB Higher Secondary School engaged in hands-on assembly, testing, and simulated launches of Nano Satellites, with real-time data analysis and drone-based deployment — a first-of-its-kind learning experience in the state.
In a strong push for entrepreneurship, three young innovators were awarded ₹1 lakh each under Odisha’s Nano Unicorn Programme. The Entrepreneurship Pitch Fest Grand Finale saw ‘Skill Cart – Life Skill in a Box’, an AI-powered digital life skills platform, win first prize. ‘Cool Hollox Bricks’, which introduced sustainable bricks for green construction, took second place.
The event also featured a showcase of 49 student-led innovation projects, with six of them receiving special recognition for creativity and impact. From AI-based learning tools to sustainable tech applications, the projects displayed the ingenuity, curiosity, and digital fluency of Odisha’s youth.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Director Rashmita Panda, who also serves as CEO of the World Skill Center, and several academic, industry, and government leaders attended the event. Their participation emphasized the collaborative vision driving Odisha’s skilling ecosystem.
As Odisha moves toward its centenary in 2036 and aligns with the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision, the World Youth Skills Day celebration at WSC stood as a vibrant testament to the state’s efforts in building a skilled, empowered, and digitally fluent generation — ready to lead in the age of AI, Industry 4.0, and global transformation.
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